Search found 3274 matches

by CyberBob
Wed Mar 20, 2019 11:32 am
Forum: Investing - Theory, News & General
Topic: Three-Fund Portfolio (2nd Grader's) vs S&P 500
Replies: 39
Views: 7621

Re: Three-Fund Portfolio (2nd Grader's) vs S&P 500

My favorite investing quote is from Larry Swedroe, who wisely said ”Don’t confuse strategy with outcome”
by CyberBob
Sun Mar 17, 2019 6:46 pm
Forum: Investing - Theory, News & General
Topic: Favorite investment quote
Replies: 73
Views: 6012

Re: Favorite investment quote

Don’t confuse strategy and outcome.
— Larry Swedroe
by CyberBob
Sun Mar 10, 2019 10:22 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: PC Games
Replies: 32
Views: 3558

Re: PC Games

My favorite turn-based strategy game is The Battle for Wesnoth, even though I stink at it :D
by CyberBob
Sun Mar 10, 2019 10:44 am
Forum: Investing - Theory, News & General
Topic: Bill Sharpe's preferred portfolio
Replies: 681
Views: 156893

Re: Bill Sharpe's preferred portfolio

28 February 2019 FTSE numbers (in millions of USD):

27,703,759 - U.S. stocks - FTSE Global All-Cap index, U.S. breakdown
23,189,088 - ex U.S. stocks - FTSE Global All-Cap index minus U.S.
20,064,990 - U.S. bonds - FTSE US Broad Investment-Grade index
18,682,060 - ex U.S. bonds - FTSE World Broad Investment-Grade index minus U.S.

So that equates to allocation percentages of:

30.91% US stocks (VTSAX,VTI,ITOT)
25.87% ex US stocks (VTIAX,VXUS,IXUS)
22.38% US bonds (VBTLX,BND,AGG)
20.84% ex US bonds (VTABX,BNDX,IAGG)

Or, alternatively:

56.77% world stocks (VT,VTWAX)
43.23% world bonds (BNDW)
by CyberBob
Sat Mar 02, 2019 9:27 am
Forum: Investing - Theory, News & General
Topic: Vanguard's march toward paperless
Replies: 5
Views: 1887

Vanguard's march toward paperless

An interesting bit of news in the latest Vanguard Annual Reports regarding the trend towards paperless:
Important information about access to shareholder reports
Beginning on January 1, 2021, as permitted by regulations adopted by the Securities and Exchange Commission, paper copies of your fund’s annual and semiannual shareholder reports will no longer be sent to you by mail, unless you specifically request them. Instead, you will be notified by mail each time a report is posted on the website and will be provided with a link to access the report.
by CyberBob
Wed Feb 27, 2019 6:14 pm
Forum: Personal Investments
Topic: David Swensen Bond ETFs
Replies: 7
Views: 975

Re: David Swensen Bond ETFs

Back in 2006, Boglehead poster Rich emailed Swensen directly to ask for clarification regarding bond maturity/duration. His response:
Thank you for your nice message - In response to your question about the bond portfolio, I would try to match the market characteristics...
So, for the treasury portion, GOVT would certainly seem to be the gold standard. Not sure about the TIPS portion, as there doesn't seem to be a 'total TIPS' fund/ETF.

In general, though, an intermediate-term fund gets you pretty close to the overall market duration. Vanguard's Intermediate-Term Treasury Index fund (VSIGX), for example, has a duration of 5.1, while the S&P U.S. Treasury Bond Index is 5.27
by CyberBob
Fri Feb 15, 2019 10:34 am
Forum: Investing - Theory, News & General
Topic: VT Total World Stock ETF and the Foreign Tax Credit Pinch Out
Replies: 100
Views: 24017

Re: VT Total World Stock ETF and the Foreign Tax Credit Pinch Out

Foreign tax credit information for Total World for 2018: https://advisors.vanguard.com/VGApp/iip ... ldFund2018
Your 1099 will show actual amount of foreign tax, foreign income, and QDI eligible foreign income.
by CyberBob
Thu Feb 14, 2019 10:20 am
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: How to live well in retirement below the poverty line (not pay taxes)
Replies: 48
Views: 7448

Re: How to live well in retirement below the poverty line (not pay taxes)

susa wrote: Thu Feb 14, 2019 7:33 am More ideas http://forum.gocurrycracker.com/index.php
Here's a specific post from GoCurryCracker: Never Pay Taxes Again.

Basic points:
- Choose leisure over labor
- Live well for less
- Leverage Roth IRA Conversions
- Harvest Capital Losses AND Capital Gains
by CyberBob
Fri Feb 01, 2019 2:50 pm
Forum: Investing - Theory, News & General
Topic: WSJ: Dozens of Advisers Face Claims of Overcharging for Mutual Funds
Replies: 4
Views: 1450

Re: WSJ: Dozens of Advisers Face Claims of Overcharging for Mutual Funds

You gotta love it when they still charge a 12b-1 fee (a marketing fee) for funds that are closed to new investors. :oops:
by CyberBob
Thu Jan 31, 2019 2:59 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Use of DAC
Replies: 11
Views: 1001

Re: Use of DAC

If you're talking about something like a CD player, the internal DAC connects to the analog player outputs and then to your preamp or receiver or whatever.

If you are going to use an external DAC it gets hooked up to the digital output of the player, which can be one of several type of connectors, including optical. The external DAC analog outputs then connect to your preamp/receiver/whatever.

So basically, you override the internal DAC simply by not using its analog output.
by CyberBob
Wed Jan 30, 2019 11:22 pm
Forum: Personal Investments
Topic: Sector allocation in Vanguard TSM vs sector portolio of ETFs?
Replies: 4
Views: 468

Re: Sector allocation in Vanguard TSM vs sector portolio of ETFs?

There are 11 sectors.
You only list 8.
Why ignore the other 3 altogether?
by CyberBob
Mon Jan 28, 2019 2:53 pm
Forum: Forum Issues and Administration
Topic: Earliest “Joined “ Date
Replies: 7
Views: 1714

Re: Earliest “Joined “ Date

nisiprius wrote: Mon Jan 28, 2019 2:31 pm How is it possible that you don't get to Alex Frakt, "Founder," until the fifth page? I.e. he isn't even one of the first hundred members.
Don't forget Phoenix.
viewtopic.php?f=3&t=3
by CyberBob
Wed Jan 23, 2019 10:36 pm
Forum: Investing - Theory, News & General
Topic: Does minimum volatility give better returns?
Replies: 72
Views: 9384

Re: Does minimum volatility give better returns?

jokuvuan wrote: Tue Jan 22, 2019 2:01 pm ...I also have checked before S&P500 ETF vs. S&P500 Minimum Volatility ETF's and there the difference was minimal.
That may be because they’re both denominated in the same currency.

I don’t know about Euro denominated global minimum volatility funds, but if you look at the US dollar denominated ones, it seems that the outperformance isn’t so much because of the minimum volatility aspect but the currency hedging.
by CyberBob
Mon Jan 21, 2019 5:22 pm
Forum: Investing - Theory, News & General
Topic: One Fund to Rule Them All
Replies: 52
Views: 7136

Re: One Fund to Rule Them All

Her plan sounds exactly like what Burton Malkiel and Charles D. Ellis recommend in their book The Elements of Investing.

https://www.kiplinger.com/article/inves ... folio.html
by CyberBob
Sat Jan 19, 2019 10:14 am
Forum: Investing - Theory, News & General
Topic: Bill Sharpe's preferred portfolio
Replies: 681
Views: 156893

Re: Bill Sharpe's preferred portfolio

December 31 2018 FTSE numbers (in millions of USD):

24,755,128 - U.S. stocks - FTSE Global All-Cap index, U.S. breakdown
21,226,260 - ex U.S. stocks - FTSE Global All-Cap index minus U.S.
20,005,980 - U.S. bonds - FTSE US Broad Investment-Grade index
18,167,100 - ex U.S. bonds - FTSE World Broad Investment-Grade index minus U.S.

So that equates to allocation percentages of:

29.42% US stocks (VTSAX, VTI, ITOT)
25.22% ex US stocks (VTIAX, VXUS, IXUS)
23.77% US bonds (VBTLX, BND, AGG)
21.59% ex US bonds (VTABX, BNDX, IAGG)

Or, alternatively:

54.64% world stocks (VT)
45.36% world bonds (BNDW)
by CyberBob
Wed Jan 02, 2019 3:43 pm
Forum: Investing - Theory, News & General
Topic: Bill Sharpe's preferred portfolio
Replies: 681
Views: 156893

Re: Bill Sharpe's preferred portfolio

Any idea why your bond numbers differ from Vanguard Total World Bond ETF (BNDW)? They put international at 52.8%. https://investor.vanguard.com/etf/profile/portfolio/bndw Two possible reasons. First, different index providers. Sharpe suggests Citi indexes (now part of FTSE) since the numbers are publicly available. The Bloomberg Barclay's index that Vanguard isn't publicly available. The second may be in the actual holdings of the funds. The 52.8% BNDX holding of BNDW doesn't mean 52.8% in international bonds, since BNDX actually holds some U.S. bonds (and vice versa for BND). Although, the holdings look pretty screwy if you check the rest of Vanguard's BNDW page. It's currently showing a lot less than 52.8% international: https://i.imgur....
by CyberBob
Wed Jan 02, 2019 3:18 pm
Forum: Personal Investments
Topic: VG advises 15% International Bonds (VTABX)... Why?
Replies: 72
Views: 11742

Re: VG advises 15% International Bonds (VTABX)... Why?

...(and lower yields)... Don't forget to factor in the currency hedging. According to Morningstar, the hedging has added 3 percentage points a year to its return. And its returned more than Total (U.S.) Bond since its inception (5/31/2013). http://quotes.morningstar.com/chart/fund/chart?t=VTABX&region=usa&culture=en_US&dataParams=%7B%22zoomKey%22%3A9%2C%22version%22%3A%22US%22%2C%22showNav%22%3Atrue%2C%22defaultShowName%22%3A%22name%22%2C%22mainSettingId%22%3A%22main%22%2C%22navSettingId%22%3A%22nav%22%2C%22benchmarkSettingId%22%3A%22benchmark%22%2C%22sliderBgSettingId%22%3A%22sliderBg%22%2C%22volumeSettingId%22%3A%22volume%22%2C%22defaultBenchmark%22%3Afalse%2C%22id%22%3A%22F00000NBIL%7CFOUSA02TYI%22%2C%22type%22%3A%22FO%7CFO%...
by CyberBob
Tue Dec 18, 2018 12:07 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Mr. Money Mustache, SWR, and equity allocation
Replies: 524
Views: 51046

Re: Mr. Money Mustache, SWR, and equity allocation

Bill Bernstein's Efficient Frontier article The Retirement Calculator From Hell, Part I is worth a read here regarding 4-5% adjusted/fixed withdrawal amounts.

http://www.efficientfrontier.com/ef/998/hell.htm
by CyberBob
Tue Dec 18, 2018 9:38 am
Forum: Investing - Theory, News & General
Topic: Bill Sharpe's preferred portfolio
Replies: 681
Views: 156893

Re: Bill Sharpe's preferred portfolio

Valuethinker wrote: Tue Dec 18, 2018 5:03 am I will have to look back to search through the thread to see where this data comes from, but extracting it here is very valuable - thank you.
For stocks, click the Global All Cap link under the Factsheets section here: https://www.ftse.com/products/indices/g ... 1524324838

For bonds, check out the WorldBIG and USBIG indexes here: https://www.yieldbook.com/m/indices/browse.shtml
by CyberBob
Mon Dec 17, 2018 1:00 pm
Forum: Investing - Theory, News & General
Topic: Bill Sharpe's preferred portfolio
Replies: 681
Views: 156893

Re: Bill Sharpe's preferred portfolio

November 30, 2018 FTSE numbers (in millions of USD):

27,519,857 - U.S. stocks - FTSE Global All-Cap index, U.S. breakdown
22,250,385 - ex U.S. stocks - FTSE Global All-Cap index minus U.S.
19,633,480 - U.S. bonds - FTSE US Broad Investment-Grade index
17,823,240 - ex U.S. bonds - FTSE World Broad Investment-Grade index minus U.S.

So that equates to allocation percentages of:

31.55% US stocks (VTSAX)
25.51% ex US stocks (VTIAX)
22.51% US bonds (VBTLX)
20.43% ex US bonds (VTABX)

Or,
57.06% world stocks (VT)
42.94% world bonds (BNDW)
by CyberBob
Mon Dec 03, 2018 2:46 pm
Forum: Investing - Theory, News & General
Topic: Rules of thumb for allocation/exposure
Replies: 29
Views: 2745

Re: Rules of thumb for allocation/exposure

‘Age in bonds’ seems to imply a precision in asset allocation that doesn’t actually exist.

I’ve always preferred Bogle’s more general allocation advice:

Image
by CyberBob
Mon Dec 03, 2018 9:24 am
Forum: Investing - Theory, News & General
Topic: Big endowments don't beat simple 60/40 over 10 yrs.
Replies: 25
Views: 3810

Re: Big endowments don't beat simple 60/40 over 10 yrs.

Ketawa wrote: Mon Dec 03, 2018 8:34 am
EvelynTroy wrote: Mon Dec 03, 2018 7:52 am The performance of Ivy League endowments has trailed a passive portfolio of 60 percent U.S. stocks and 40 percent bonds over the past ten years — and has been more volatile to boot, according to a new report from research and analytics provider Markov Processes International.

Evelyn
How useful is this takeaway when the endowments are compared to a U.S.-only portfolio?
A 'Bogle Model' three-fund portfolio consisting of 40% Total U.S. Stock, 20% International Stock, and 40% Total Bond also comes out well compared to the endowments:
https://awealthofcommonsense.com/2017/0 ... ale-model/
by CyberBob
Sun Dec 02, 2018 7:32 am
Forum: Investing - Theory, News & General
Topic: foreign tax credit
Replies: 12
Views: 1209

Re: foreign tax credit

From IRS Publication 514:
Your foreign tax credit cannot be more than your total U.S. tax liability (Form 1040, line 44) multiplied by a fraction. The numerator of the fraction is your taxable income from sources outside the United States. The denominator is your total taxable income from U.S. and foreign sources.
by CyberBob
Mon Nov 12, 2018 8:35 am
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: How long have you had, or did you have, your HP-12C calculator?
Replies: 72
Views: 4784

Re: How long have you had, or did you have, your HP-12C calculator?

I've had an HP-11C since 1983, so 35 years.
Still works like it did day one. Built like a tank.
RPN FTW!
by CyberBob
Thu Nov 08, 2018 8:43 am
Forum: Investing - Theory, News & General
Topic: Bill Sharpe's preferred portfolio
Replies: 681
Views: 156893

Re: Bill Sharpe's preferred portfolio

October 31st FTSE numbers (in millions of USD):

27,114,191 - U.S. stocks - FTSE Global All-Cap index, U.S. breakdown
22,090,263 - ex U.S. stocks - FTSE Global All-Cap index minus U.S.
19,567,750 - U.S. bonds - FTSE US Broad Investment-Grade index
17,781,160 - ex U.S. bonds - FTSE World Broad Investment-Grade index minus U.S.

So that equates to allocation percentages of:

31.33% US stocks (VTSAX)
25.52% ex US stocks (VTIAX)
22.61% US bonds (VBTLX)
20.54% ex US bonds (VTABX)

Or,
56.85% world stocks (VT)
43.15% world bonds (BNDW)
by CyberBob
Thu Nov 01, 2018 10:02 am
Forum: US Chapters
Topic: NE Ohio (Cleveland Area) Master Thread
Replies: 255
Views: 138883

Re: NE Ohio (Cleveland Area) Master Thread

Unfortunately, I also had to miss October's meeting.
When is the next December meeting? December 8th?
by CyberBob
Thu Nov 01, 2018 9:59 am
Forum: Investing - Theory, News & General
Topic: David Swensen Unconventional Success
Replies: 123
Views: 16241

Re: David Swensen Unconventional Success

...What about other asset classes that may not have been as accessible in a low cost format when the book was published such as International REITs (i.e. Swensen recommend a large allocation to REITs in general and a larger (at the time) international allocation), International Bonds, etc. As far as foreign bonds, it doesn't seem that accessibility was the reason that Swensen placed them solidly in the 'Non-Core' category: Foreign-currency denominated bonds share domestic bonds' burden of low expected returns without the benefit of domestic fixed income's special diversifying power. Fully hedged foreign bonds mimic U.S. bonds (with the disadvantage of added complexity and costs stemming from the hedging process). Unhedged foreign bonds sup...
by CyberBob
Wed Oct 31, 2018 9:54 am
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: USPS - Informed delivery - complain on missing items?
Replies: 71
Views: 25210

Re: USPS - Informed delivery - complain on missing items?

2015 wrote: Tue Oct 30, 2018 10:34 pm
alpenglow wrote: Tue Oct 30, 2018 6:56 pm
TravelGeek wrote: Tue Oct 30, 2018 6:55 pm Yes, I file a missing item report if something doesn’t show up.
Has anything ever come of it? I clicked the report missing mail link once but never got any follow-up.
Same here, except I heard back a few months later stating they couldn't find it and were closing the case. My fault for wasting my time with the postal disservice.
The same thing happened to me. They couldn’t find it and then gave up looking.

I received the missing item 11 months later :shock:
by CyberBob
Thu Sep 27, 2018 10:20 pm
Forum: Personal Investments
Topic: Warren Buffet Portfolio Critique
Replies: 56
Views: 6119

Re: Warren Buffet Portfolio Critique

NoHeat wrote: Thu Sep 27, 2018 8:11 pm The size of a portfolio matters.
In this case, I don’t think it does.

During the CNBC interviews with Becky Quick, she asked about this recommendation and Buffett explained further.

He said the ‘short-term governments’ were so she could withdraw from those in years the market was down.

He also talked about her having a 3 or 4% withdrawal rate, the same numbers we talk about here, whatever the overall portfolio size.
by CyberBob
Fri Sep 14, 2018 10:34 am
Forum: Investing - Theory, News & General
Topic: Age in Bonds - Still Recommended?
Replies: 152
Views: 15536

Re: Age in Bonds - Still Recommended?

I’ve always preferred Bogle’s more general allocation advice from his first book:

Image
by CyberBob
Thu Sep 13, 2018 8:53 am
Forum: Personal Investments
Topic: Vanguard is requiring cell phone security codes - problem for international travel (UPDATE)
Replies: 65
Views: 13298

Re: Vanguard is requiring cell phone security codes - problem for international travel

Dottie57 wrote: Wed Sep 12, 2018 8:48 pm Unbelievable as it may be to some, not everyone has a cell phone.
You don’t need a cell phone, as there is also a voice-recording option to your home landline.
by CyberBob
Wed Sep 12, 2018 9:02 am
Forum: Investing - Theory, News & General
Topic: Bill Sharpe's preferred portfolio
Replies: 681
Views: 156893

Re: Bill Sharpe's preferred portfolio

asset_chaos wrote: Tue Sep 11, 2018 3:40 pm
CyberBob wrote: Tue Sep 11, 2018 10:19 am 19,509,800 - U.S. bonds - FTSE US Broad Investment-Grade index
Why the par amount instead of market value? Not that they are very different now. Aug 31 factsheet says 19,619.75 for market value.
Oops, typo. Fixed it in the original post. Thanks for catching it. :thumbsup
by CyberBob
Tue Sep 11, 2018 10:19 am
Forum: Investing - Theory, News & General
Topic: Bill Sharpe's preferred portfolio
Replies: 681
Views: 156893

Re: Bill Sharpe's preferred portfolio

There has been an interesting development regarding the indexes that Sharpe has been using for this portfolio. The Citi bond indexes are now FTSE Russell indexes. This means that it is now possible to get numbers for all four portfolio components from FTSE. This would presumably give a bit more consistency than getting numbers from three different index providers. The U.S. stock number can also now be found from FTSE as an individual breakdown number for the U.S. in the FTSE Global All-Cap index number. Another benefit of using all FTSE numbers is that they come out monthly, rather than quarterly. So, using August 31st FTSE numbers (in millions of USD): 29,273,216 - U.S. stocks - FTSE Global All-Cap index, U.S. breakdown 24,099,318 - ex U.S...
by CyberBob
Thu Sep 06, 2018 9:50 am
Forum: Investing - Theory, News & General
Topic: September 6,2018-Vanguard Introduces Low-Cost Total World Bond ETF
Replies: 48
Views: 7725

Re: September 6,2018-Vanguard Introduces Low-Cost Total World Bond ETF

Volume so far, in the first hour of existence, about $11,000.
Come on, William Sharpe, buy! :D
by CyberBob
Sun Sep 02, 2018 7:01 pm
Forum: Investing - Theory, News & General
Topic: What constitutes a haystack? (for stocks)
Replies: 32
Views: 3260

Re: What constitutes a haystack? (for stocks)

William Sharpe prefers what he calls the “World Bond Stock” portfolio, which he constructs using Vanguard’s big-four total market funds. Current composition:

31.29% US stocks
26.62% ex US stocks
21.38% US bonds
20.71% ex US bonds

viewtopic.php?f=10&t=207804
by CyberBob
Wed Aug 22, 2018 10:09 am
Forum: Investing - Theory, News & General
Topic: Launch date for Vanguard Total World Bond ETF?
Replies: 4
Views: 1410

Re: Launch date for Vanguard Total World Bond ETF?

Apparently there is another global bond fund coming out as well. Vanguard Global Credit Bond Fund, coming out in November.
https://pressroom.vanguard.com/news/Pre ... 92018.html
by CyberBob
Tue Aug 21, 2018 11:17 pm
Forum: Investing - Theory, News & General
Topic: Launch date for Vanguard Total World Bond ETF?
Replies: 4
Views: 1410

Re: Launch date for Vanguard Total World Bond ETF?

Maybe pretty soon. It has been approved for listing on the NASDAQ exchange

https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data ... t_BNDW.pdf
by CyberBob
Tue Aug 21, 2018 9:05 am
Forum: Investing - Theory, News & General
Topic: Vanguard to offer non-Vanguard ETFs commission-free
Replies: 245
Views: 32055

Re: Vanguard to offer non-Vanguard ETFs commission-free

They're here!
Tuesday August 21st.
Big announcement on the homepage.
Although, the website seems to be swamped, as I've been trying for 15 minutes to get the trading page to come up.
Here is the full list of commission-free (and not commission-free) ETF's: https://personal.vanguard.com/pdf/etfcfl.pdf
by CyberBob
Sun Aug 12, 2018 7:56 pm
Forum: Investing - Theory, News & General
Topic: Press Release--Vanguard Continues To Expand Active Fixed Income Offerings With Proposed Global Credit Bond Fund
Replies: 21
Views: 3601

Re: Press Release--Vanguard Continues To Expand Active Fixed Income Offerings With Proposed Global Credit Bond Fund

spdoublebass wrote: Thu Aug 09, 2018 9:19 pm I thought this new fund was going to be a compliment to Total World stock fund.
That’s another fund that’s global credit and government.
viewtopic.php?t=249955
by CyberBob
Tue Aug 07, 2018 10:31 am
Forum: Investing - Theory, News & General
Topic: Vanguard to offer non-Vanguard ETFs commission-free
Replies: 245
Views: 32055

Re: Vanguard to offer non-Vanguard ETFs commission-free

caklim00 wrote: Tue Aug 07, 2018 9:30 am Anyone know when Vanguard is going to do commission free etf trades. Just re-opened my vanguard account and was disappointed to still see $7 trades.
Vanguard ETF’s are commission-free now. The rest will be in ‘August’ according to their news release.
https://investornews.vanguard/coming-in ... investors/
by CyberBob
Sat Aug 04, 2018 10:25 pm
Forum: Investing - Theory, News & General
Topic: The stock market is shrinking.
Replies: 68
Views: 9345

Re: The stock market is shrinking.

According to a Vanguard paper, the shrinking number of companies is due to micro-caps. And a lot of their delistings are simply mergers. Basically not a big deal. From the article: Despite the drop in the number of publicly listed companies, there appear to be few, if any, implications for investors. The investable U.S. equity market—the large-, mid-, and small-cap stocks that reflect investors’ investable opportunity set—has remained a relatively constant proportion of the total U.S. equity market, and it has also maintained a consistent level of concentration among its constituents. These proportion and concentration effects are measured in terms of a company’s value, and they are sometimes overlooked by a focus on the shrinking number of...
by CyberBob
Wed Aug 01, 2018 2:27 pm
Forum: Investing - Theory, News & General
Topic: Forbes: Using Just 2 Inexpensive Funds To Build Your Long-Term Portfolio
Replies: 1
Views: 678

Re: Forbes: Using Just 2 Inexpensive Funds To Build Your Long-Term Portfolio

The two funds are Vanguard Total World Stock (VT) and Vanguard Total Bond (BND).

Total Bond is picked because the article mentions that there aren’t any good world bond funds available. But, the new Vanguard Total World Bond ETF may be out as early as next week.
by CyberBob
Mon Jul 30, 2018 10:02 pm
Forum: Personal Investments
Topic: 1 year treasuries @ 2.4% instead of bond funds?
Replies: 32
Views: 4514

Re: 1 year treasuries @ 2.4% instead of bond funds?

It’s interesting to note that William Bengen, who started all of the 4% safe-withdrawal research said that the safe withdrawal numbers didn't change if you replaced bonds with cash (1 year T-bills).
by CyberBob
Sun Jul 22, 2018 11:56 pm
Forum: Investing - Theory, News & General
Topic: Bill Sharpe's preferred portfolio
Replies: 681
Views: 156893

Re: Bill Sharpe's preferred portfolio

The 21 number is for the All-World ex-us index, which is large and mid-cap only. Doing the subtraction from the Global index series gets you small-cap too, and so is a more complete number. I realize I was using the wrong index. But just so I understand, why do you have to subtract it from the Global index? There is a FTSE Global ALl Cap Ex US index, Why not just use that and the CRSP? The subtraction is only necessary because I always wind up looking at the main Global index page, which doesn’t break out ex-US. The reason I look at the main Global index page is that is shows the US number which is a second source to compare to the CRSP US number. They’re always close. But your way is easier and better because of no potential math errors.
by CyberBob
Sun Jul 22, 2018 10:34 pm
Forum: Investing - Theory, News & General
Topic: Bill Sharpe's preferred portfolio
Replies: 681
Views: 156893

Re: Bill Sharpe's preferred portfolio

I agree with everything above except the Global all cap ex US. I found that number to be 21,532,624 In your link it shows the global number as 51,639,835 and the US as 27,505,578 51,639,835 - 27,505,578 = 24,134,257 Where did you get the 21,532,624 number? Ok. First, you do not have to subtract anything for the stocks. You use the CRSP index for he US Stocks. Which is 27,900,058 The FTSE Global EX US index is 21,532,624 The USBIG INDEX is 19,066,930 The World BIG-USBIG = 18,463,300 (Here, for bonds, you subtract) Which equals: US STOCK 32.08% INT STOCK 24.76% US BOND 21.93% INT BOND 21.23% The 21 number is for the All-World ex-us index, which is large and mid-cap only. Doing the subtraction from the Global index series gets you small-cap t...
by CyberBob
Sun Jul 22, 2018 11:03 am
Forum: Investing - Theory, News & General
Topic: Bill Sharpe's preferred portfolio
Replies: 681
Views: 156893

Re: Bill Sharpe's preferred portfolio

The June 2018 end-of-quarter numbers are out for the indexes that Sharpe mentions in the video. So to keep the portfolio allocations up-to-date for anyone who is interested, here are the numbers (in millions of USD): 27,900,058 - US stocks - CRSP US Total Market Index 23,739,777 - ex US stocks - FTSE Global All-Cap Index minus US 19,066,930 - US bonds - Citigroup US Broad Investment-Grade Index 18,463,300 - ex US bonds - Citigroup World Broad Investment-Grade Index minus US So that equates to allocation percentages of: 31.29% US stocks 26.62% ex US stocks 21.38% US bonds 20.71% ex US bonds Or, with the announcement from Vanguard about their new Total World Bond ETF, which is supposed to be out August-ish, the simpler two total-world asset c...
by CyberBob
Tue Jul 17, 2018 10:21 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Paper tax return filed at deadline - still no refund 7 weeks later
Replies: 27
Views: 3143

Re: Paper tax return filed at deadline - still no refund 7 weeks later

jacoavlu wrote: Thu Jun 21, 2018 7:27 amI suppose the interest is taxable. :wink:
Yep. I got a 1099 form from them two years ago for interest. It was weird putting that on my 1040 Schedule B...Name of Payer: IRS.
by CyberBob
Mon Jul 16, 2018 9:41 am
Forum: Personal Investments
Topic: Pulling past Vanguard Annual Reports
Replies: 3
Views: 368

Re: Pulling past Vanguard Annual Reports

For easier access, the wiki has a page with links to SEC filings:
https://www.bogleheads.org/wiki/Vanguard_SEC_listings
by CyberBob
Mon Jul 16, 2018 9:35 am
Forum: Personal Investments
Topic: Pulling past Vanguard Annual Reports
Replies: 3
Views: 368

Re: Pulling past Vanguard Annual Reports

The SEC has them all. Annual reports are N-CSR. Semiannual are N-CSRS.
Scroll down, as the Star fund is shown first, and then Lifestrategy, and then Total International.
https://www.sec.gov/cgi-bin/browse-edga ... cd=filings